I was quite amused last night with the whole council discussion about Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger’s repeated use of the “F-bomb” during the band’s performance at the Festival of Lights on June 30th. Let me just say for the record; I was not offended by the bands language, I was offended by their music! I was certain they were playing the same song over and over, except when they covered Elton John’s Saturday Night and I could actually distinguish a melody. My wife and I left halfway through.
At the time, Kroeger’s constant cursing and sexual innuendo struck me as a very lame and deliberate performance to fulfil a bad-boy rock star cliche. What I didn’t know then was that the organizers of the event had actually asked the band not to swear during their performance. I think we should all be able to draw upon forty-odd years of historical experience with rock bands who were asked NOT to do something. It always backfires, and I think we’re just lucky Nickelback didn’t go back to their hotel room and toss the furniture out the window. Lesson learned.
I’ve been to many, many large rock concerts with louder and lewder and more outrageous behaviour than Nickelback’s, and I don’t personally have a problem with profanity, but Tourism Charlottetown should not promote an event as “family friendly”, if indeed they did, when the headliners are very well known not to be. I believe, as I’m quoted in the paper, “it was a mistake to ask the band here in the first place if the city is concerned about providing family entertainment.”
I should say, however, that Tourism Charlottetown — poor choice of entertainment aside — deserves credit for a very well organized and successful event. The Charlottetown Police should also be congratulated for keeping a lid on things, as much as was possible under the circumstances.
I think another wrinkle (or one that I’ve heard complained of) is that you could hear the concert, including f-bombs and other “offensive” language, all over town. Poor Aunt Mildred on Euston Street or the MacDonald family barbeque in Parkdale were subjected to the barrage of profanity even though they chose not to attend the Festival. Its not really fair if you can’t escape it and I think that certainly makes it a problem.
Let’s not even go into the issue of offending artistic sensibilities. I was subjected to the Jazz Festival all week as I walked my dog in Brighton. I am not expecting a flood of sympathy, though.
I heard that the previous night’s verbal performance by Buck Cherry was even much more lewd than Nickelback’s. In either case, billing “bad boy” rock groups as “family entertainment” is the real problem here. I, like Rob, have attended more rock concerts than I care to remember, and I would certainly not have been surprised to hear the odd four-letter word at one. I agree totally that the organizers either have to change their advertising, or book “Barney” and “The Wiggles” instead of Nickleback and Buck Cherry! Expecting rock groups to behave is probably not a reasonable assumption…
I was at the Trews show whenever it was they were here for the Festival and it was: F-this and F-that and Charlottetown F-ing rocks etc. and there was no outcry at all during or after. Kim Green is in the Guardian today saying the shows are not billed as family entertainment. Again, the problem is that the sound carries all over town so people get F-bombed whether or not they go to the show. Kim cleverly avoided that aspect.
Good point Hans. I think most of the complaints are from people who were not at the show. I think council has an obligation to acknowledge these complaints, which we did. But this was a ten minute discussion at our council meeting, which was more than two hours long and dealt with many more important matters. I guess this was a lesson in media 101. The Guardian certainly sold lots of papers and got plenty of hits on their website. Good for them, but the giant front page headshot of Kroeger today tells me there’s very little important happening in our province at the moment.
Plus, the national media love the familiar plot lines of “rock star=bad boy” and “PEI=quaint, old-time, trapped in the past bumpkins”. This story had them both.
Obviously Tourism Charlottetown doesn’t know about X929 FM’s “No Nickleback Guarantee.” It’s true, see for yourself at x929.ca. As you point out in your sentiment that you felt the band “was . . . playing the same song over and over,” all their music sounds the same. Foul language asside, the noise they make is simply offensive in itself. So many other great indi Canadian acts, so close – like Montreal – why anyone would invite Nickleback is beyond me.
I am ashamed to live in Charlottetown. The fact the mayor would ask them to come back for a family-friendly show is completely idiotic. Since when does family entertainment involve huge liquor tents?
From what I understand the FOL brings in a profit off this event. It also attracts a lot of tourist and brings in huge tourism dollars. Yet the mayor is saying he might cut funding?
But then again, every other city that Nickleback plays in is also complaining about the language they used, not. Every other city practices common sense.
Only on PEI.
John,
Just in the interest of accuracy — because I don’t think it will assuage your shame — it was Councillor Tweel that suggested the band come back for the family friendly show.
Stewart promises clean language at concert
There are a million Canadian Indie acts that are cool and don’t foul the air (in many ways).
The thing promoters and organizers often forget is that when you are the only game in town, you can be a little more risky with the acts you book (risk* meaning you can hire an up-and-coming act and not regret it). You don’t have to rely on name recognition as heavily to draw people. It’s an event that draws people annually, and one can bet that it will still be a draw if they hired 10 fantastic indie bands for the price of one Nicklehead.
The clincher…
“I like your pants around your feet I like the dirt that’s on your knees.” Nuf said.
It’s incredible how many people are suddenly so concerned about what the “city slickers” think of us. I’ve heard a number of comments, both in the paper and to my face, to the effect that council “made us look like a bunch of hicks!”. Well, let’s not forget, that the mayor of Toronto banned the Barenaked Ladies because their name was “offensive”.
And how about this politically correct stupidity? It’s a BYLAW, no less.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/07/20/glebova050720.html
Toronto Mayor David Miller has issued an apology to Miss Universe after the city barred her from opening a festival on municipal property over concerns about sexual stereotyping.
…
They said beauty pageants and beauty queens were banned from the square by a bylaw that prohibits activities deemed to be degrading to men or women through sexual stereotyping.